Mayumi Kurase
Mayumi Kurase (倉瀬 真由美 Kurase Mayumi) is Sōma Yukihira's close friend and one of Soma's prime supporter to his cooking. Before Sōma's move to Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, she has attended the same schools with him since kindergarten. She also has a hidden crush on Sōma and laments on not being able to attend the same high school with him. Appearance Mayumi is appeared to be short dark-hazel hair and a thin body figure. She is also appeared to be short figure. Personality Mayumi is a shy and meek girl. Since a very young age, she developed a crush on Soma and frequented his family's restaurant over the years in an attempt to get close to him, but her meekness prevented her from revealing her feelings to him. Since then she has shown remorse for not doing so before Soma left for Tootsuki. Despite her shyness, Mayumi is a hardworking and studious girl as noted by Soma. Soma puts his faith in her to continue to make the Karaage rolls while he is away, much to her joy. Plot Backstory Little known about Mayumi's past, though it is indicated that she was Soma's classmate and has a hidden crush towards Soma since his school days with her. In the same time, along with her friends, Aki and Soma's other classmates, Mayumi has become one of the Restaurant Yukihira 's frequent customers to dine on the restaurant's famous delicacies. Battle Between the 2 Yukihira Geniuses Like most ordinary days, Mayumi became the judge of the Yukihira father and son as she ate rice at the bar in front of them. As the result, Mayumi stands and declare that Jōichirō Yukihara's dish as the winner. Just as Sōma fell to his hands and knees, Mayumi tends in hopes to cheer him up, said that Sōma's dish was excellent despite the lost, not before she is invited to eat one of his failed experimental dishes, Grilled Squid Tentacles Dressed in Peanut Butter. Describing the dish as so bad, Mayumi barely laughed before he shoved the food into her mouth, to which her response was a feeling similar to being groped by a squid, while later embraced by her friend ,Aki Koganei. And that time, it was Mayumi's last encounter with the Yukihira Family before the Restaurant Yukihira's closure for 3 years and Soma's transfer to the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy for further training. Soma's Return & Reluctant Assistance Main Article:Karaage Wars Arc It is been 2 months since Soma's transfer to the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, Mayumi is staring at the now empty (or thought to be empty) Restaurant Yukihira while wondering about Soma's life in the academy. Just as she staring over the restaurant, Mayumi is quickly noticed by Aki and she was told that she should have confessed her feelings to Soma earlier; which her innocent face of tears that prompt Aki to apologize immediately. As Aki told that it is not late to confess her lover to Soma, Mayumi repeatedly claims that it is not possible for her to do, until she saw Soma opens the restaurant doors from the inside which prompt her to be surprised over Soma's sudden return while witnessed the revival of the Restaurant Yukihira business for one day. During the business hours of the reopened Restaurant Yukihira, Mayumi impressed that Soma's cookery skill and pace has improved better since the last time she saw him and even has a matured in her perspective. Yet she can still sense an unease as Soma began to show some distance away from her; prompt her to think that her relationship with Soma would drift even further should he leave Restaurant Yukihira again. In the same time, Mayumi is one of the few who listens to Soma's volunteering assistance to bring back the popularity of the Shopping District while walking around in indecision should she join the fray. Never did she know that she is pushed by Aki, who claimed that it would be the best chance for Mayumi to confess her feelings towards Soma, which she explain in whisper that she didn't know any cooking while motivated by Aki to stick to the plan to learn something from Soma(not before she got chopped by Aki to stay true to her goal). With Soma appointed her as the taste judge, Mayumi couldn't be more happier to be Soma's assistant under the pressure from Aki so she can confessed. On the next day, Mayumi meets Mito Ikumi, the Meat Expert of the Mito House, and shivered nervously as if she just meet someone famous like a supermodel. During the introduction, Mayumi remarks, including her misunderstandings, that Soma had "turned-mature" because of Ikumi and assume if Ikumi is his current girlfriend (Soma didn't know about Mayumi's crush upon him and her assumption though). Regardless, Mayumi decided to cooperate with Ikumi as she joined Soma to investigate the Karaage Restaurant of Commercial Area together. As the trio arrived to the Commercial Area and Soma's joked about his neighborhood lost in latest thread fashion, Mayumi would urged Soma not to joke too much as that it would effects the morale of the neighborhood. In the meantime, Mayumi would remark over her plan to confess her feelings towards Soma in the right timing, orelse she would scolded badly by Aki again for the late;in a same time wonder the relationship between Ikumi and Soma that prompting her to assume that Ikumi is Soma's girlfriend. Her glance is noticed by Ikumi and faced As the trio arrived over the shop, Mayumi is learned from Ikumi that the shop they are investigating is [[Mozuya's Karaage]], the renowned Karaage Specialty Shop not just famed in the Kansai area, but also won the "All Japan Karaage Convention" for 3 years. In the same time, Mayumi is also impressed the design of the packaging and the line of the customers for the purchase of the food, that is until she is too meet Tomita in and odd disguise in the line of customers. As she see both Soma and Ikumi tasted the dish as delicious, Mayumi is then approached by Nakamozu as she heard Nakamozu gloat her glorious dish through the recipe that she spills, which her overconfidence of her and the mockery upon the neighborhood's washed-up method would prompt Soma to retaliate in a similar sarcasm; should anyone can cook the Karaage much similar/surpassed to the renowned franchise it would a slap-in-a-face to the shop reputation, and immediately ignited Nakamozu's unusual anger After the visit, Mayumi is still shaken over Nakamozu's sudden changes as if she had just meet a ghost with two-faces yet nothing even surprised her more that Soma and Ikumi remained calmed and trying to make the 1st experiment on his first Karaage cooking; as she assumed that both Soma and Ikumi are being as professionals. As she first tasted the Karaage, Mayumi found it delicious yet she is told by Soma that the simple cookery like this would be easily beaten since the Karaage the Mozuya's includes to the secret recipes. Just as Soma reject Ikumi's expensive idea, Mayumi is asked by Soma to give her own , a local neighborhood style Karaage, which Mayumi ended up not giving one as Soma confused over her ideas. As Soma is finally found the eureka that the battle may not necessary , On the evening, Mayumi joined Ikumi and Tomita in a meeting to discuss the Karaage, as Soma's plan is to make the Karaage delicious while walking around, Mayumi would claimed that her mom once bought the Karaage from the Mozuya's and over heat the meal from getting over cooled. With Soma's ideal Karaage meal would be eatn, Mayumi joined the others to agree on the plan. While consume Soma's prototype Karaage dish with the milk carton, Mayumi would prefer over Mozuya's Karaage's counterpart and while she has the idea to make a satay like Karaage to attract the customers, which later considered as failure as . Just as Soma went to his room to take any of his reference recipe book, Mayumi is livid that she is now been alone with the Meat Expert while asked some odd questions to Ikumi. In the same time, Mayumi is also noticed Ikumi that she is also . Seeing her friends doing their best to keep the neighborhood alive, Mayumi would also doing her part so she can keep up with everyone. It took around 3 days for Mayumi to joined her. As the sales reached it's third day, Mayumi would continued her support towards Soma and realized that it would be her last day to be together with Soma (hinting that his Summer Break is almost over too) and found herself all alone again just like the last time she see the Yukihira Family leaving the neighborhood. Just as the neighborhood emerged victorious after the busy camp, Mayumi would turned away from the crowd as she see Soma continuing to praise everyone, Mayumi is surprised that Soma is praised her while entrusted her to be a part time job on Tomita. That is until Soma stepped towards her and tell her that she has been working hard on helping him, much to her sudden confusion. Much to her surprise, Mayumi found that Soma has been observed her even since primary school and later. While listens to Soma's words of comfort, Mayumi realized that Soma has been notice her action for a long time and accept Soma's offer to keep the Sumire Karaage After listen to Soma's words of comfort, Mayumi would remain silent in embarrassment yet in her heart, she could be more delight that Soma had praised her much than anyone else. Trivia *Her shyness resembles that of Megumi Tadokoro's. Category:Female Characters Category:Support Characters Category:Student Category:Students